


late bloomer

by mochacreams



Series: for jupiter, with love (♃) [2]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Canon Era, Developing Relationship, Domestic, Extended Metaphors, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Gap Filler, Love Confessions, M/M, Mission Fic, Mutual Pining, Otasune, Philanthropy Era, Teasing, probably very obvious and dumb metaphors, snotacon - Freeform, this is so cheesy i'm sorry but i love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26127172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochacreams/pseuds/mochacreams
Summary: There’d been a little potted cactus sitting on the windowsill from the moment they moved in."I think we should keep it," Otacon had announced, as if the succulent were a pet.“Ah, well…” Snake had finally settled on a station playing a rerun of M*A*S*H for suitable background noise. “As long as it doesn't turn into a bother, I don't really care what you do with it."“I was gonna keep it either way, but thank you for your blessing.”
Relationships: Otacon/Solid Snake
Series: for jupiter, with love (♃) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897660
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	late bloomer

**Author's Note:**

> GOOD AFTERNOON i come bearing more snots for everyone's enjoyment.... let's rock and roll

There’d been a little potted cactus sitting on the windowsill from the moment they moved in. 

It was not tall with long, angled arms, but rather a short and stout one that had no shortage of needles. The circular pot was just the perfect width, encasing it like a shell. It had obviously been well-loved when the previous tenants occupied the apartment, because it was still alive now. 

Well, maybe not too well-loved if they’d forgotten it so easily. 

"I think we should keep it," Otacon had announced, as if the succulent were a pet, when the two of them were finished unpacking and had collapsed onto the sofa. Truthfully he'd been mulling over it the whole time he was plugging in the router and setting up various laptops.

Snake wouldn't have even known what he was referring to until he followed Otacon's gaze. "What, the plant? Why bother when we're gonna forget to water it anyway?"

"Huh? Why're you so sure it's gonna die?" When he looked back at Snake, all he did was shrug complacently and throw his head back as he drank from his beercan. "I think someone could come back for it, you know?"

"Doubt it." He put the can down and reached for the remote. "How long did Mei Ling say this place has been vacant?"

"Oh, maybe a month or so… They got evicted, if I remember." News channels and black and white movies flipped by. Then some cartoons and a documentary. “So I just thought there’d be a chance.”

“Ah, well…” Snake had finally settled on a station playing a rerun of M*A*S*H for suitable background noise. “As long as it doesn't turn into a bother, I don't really care what you do with it."

“I was gonna keep it either way, but thank you for your blessing.” The faint smirk Otacon had as he picked up his laptop lingered for a good minute. 

Snake, who lifted the can back up to his lips, mumbled into the rim, “You’ve always gotta bust my balls, huh…”

* * *

This particular morning had Otacon waking up to an empty bed.

It wasn't unusual because Snake was an early riser and Otacon had gone to bed at three in the morning, as per normal. If he slept until ten it was his business.

They'd been hoping to dig up some leads soon, but...things sometimes didn’t play out exactly as you planned. That's why, the previous night, Otacon had been busy trying to find some possible sources at the very least. And if he breezed through programming some applications for future infiltration use while he was waiting and scouring, then it was all the better.

He trudged like a zombie into the kitchen, scratching his stomach under his shirt, with still no sign of Snake. Really, he expected him to be back from jogging already, and either eating oatmeal at the table or cleaning his equipment on the couch while some sci-fi movie played on the TV.

It's not like he should be worried about _Snake_ of all people—actually, it should probably be the other way around—but he was still...moderately concerned not knowing his whereabouts. But it wasn't like Snake to be reckless.

Otacon settled on pushing his nerves aside and looking through the bread basket, which was...empty. Depressingly empty.

Oh, right, they had run out of bagels the other day. 

There was a local bakery not even a block away, so if he just grabbed a hoodie, the keys, and his wallet, he could be back in—

Before Otacon could even step out of the kitchen, the front door clicked open.

In came Snake, who shucked off his boots toward the front hallway before he turned the corner. There was a clear bag stacked with bagels in one of his hands, and a drink tray with two coffees in the other.

"Wow, you went shopping and everything?" Otacon rubbed at his eyes just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. And when his hands retracted, his glasses fell back into place, though somewhat haphazardly. "Slow morning?"

Snake held out one of the cups—coffee mixed with generous amounts of cream and sugar, just as Otacon liked it—and put the bagels down. "You could say that."

"Well, I did most of the work I needed to last night," yawned Otacon, almost on cue. The mention of his sleeping habits made Snake roll his eyes, though he smirked into his coffee all the same. "So it looks like today'll be slow for me too."

"Huh. Looks like we'll be spending all day together then." He took a long sip of his drink.

"Guess so." Otacon was already digging through the plastic for a bagel to toast, swallowing hard and trying to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach. "You want one too?"

"I ate already," Snake said, without skipping a beat. "But thanks."

For a moment, the only sounds in the kitchen were Otacon clicking the split bagel into the toaster (the electric coils heating up until they reddened) and Snake filling up a cup with water (metal faucet clinking against the glass).

And obviously that was suspicious since he had coffee already. Otacon stood, pretending to fiddle with the toaster settings, his back turned to Snake as he began walking toward the living room. His footsteps were nearly silent, but the old wood of the apartment floorboards still creaked. 

Otacon finally turned, daring to take a look, only to see him approach the window and pour water into the little cactus's pot. He did it with such grace and poise, so delicately, that it made a loud laugh burst out of Otacon's mouth. 

Snake seemed to be surprised, but the only indication of that was the way he paused. "What's so funny?" The serious look on his face didn't look so intimidating with the tips of his ears bright red.

"It's just the first time I've seen you water it."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. It's your responsibility."

"So you say, but I think you really care about it."

There were only some grumbles, and he rolled his eyes so hard that Otacon thought they'd get stuck like that.

* * *

"Okay, you'll need to head down toward the sub-basement level.”

There was momentary crackling on the other end before Snake replied, "Right. Second or third?"

"Well," Otacon leaned back slightly into the couch cushion, "we need to get to B3 for the more crucial data...but to do that you've gotta go to B2 first. Think of it as a little pitstop."

"A break, huh? I don't think we should be taking any of those. What happened to you being serious about missions?"

"No, not a break, Snake!" He was really only half-exasperated as he said it. "The security system is stored there, so if you can give me access, we'll get the level four card we need for B3."

Snake laughed a little, in his warm, gruff voice that made an icy shock go up Otacon's spine. "Well, why didn't you just say so? I'm on it." 

He clicked off before Otacon could protest. Otacon sighed and leaned his elbow onto the armrest, watching as Snake's pulse increased, probably because he'd started running down the hallway. Only a few lone guards stood between him and the security room, so it should be no big deal.

Absentmindedly, Otacon tilted his head toward the small window, looking out of the slightly dirty glass and the gray sky beyond it. Sunset would be in a few hours' time, and then after everything he'd have to go pick up Snake. The timing was crucial.

When his eyes drifted down, the cactus was on the sill as always, soaking up whatever sun it could (which wasn’t too much, considering the fog today). 

He really should water it soon. Maybe Snake had been right saying he’d neglect it after a while—but to be fair he hadn’t had time to do much of anything today. Succulents were resilient, anyway, weren’t they?

When he took a break to get some snacks, he decided, it’d get fed too. 

"Hey, Otacon." 

Snake's voice on the codec pulled him away from his thoughts, and he looked to the screen again. No abnormal readings, and three of the guards were already incapacitated. 

"Mm?" He was already looking back to the cactus, debating if he should quickly douse it.

"You wanna get takeout for dinner?"

Really, he shouldn't have expected anything else. "Always with your head in the clouds…" 

"That's not a 'no,' though."

"Only _you_ would be thinking of food at a time like this," Otacon said, watching the blinking dot on the soliton radar move down another hallway toward the security room. "Chinese does sound good…but you need to focus right now."

"Are _you_ focused?"

It was such an odd question that Otacon had to pause. Maybe he had noticed his far-off gaze and darting eyes? But honestly, Snake's voice, in the right tone, was more distracting than a plant.

"W-Why do you ask? Do I seem distracted? You know, I haven't slept too well the past few nights, so maybe I'm just a little scatterbrained—"

"—Relax, I'm just teasing." Of course he was, he shouldn't overthink things— "Or maybe it's more like some awkward flirting."

" _H-Huh_?" Was he supposed to stop his voice from cracking? Luckily Otacon shut his mouth before it started hanging, even though Snake could probably still see the blush on his face.

"Yeah, I'm a little rusty. Been too long. But I'm still counting on that takeout date."

A _date_ huh? So he was serious about that? ~~He hadn’t heard wrong?~~ A quick glance at the hormones monitored by Snake’s nanomachines was enough of a confirmation.

Otacon gripped a fistful of his hoodie fabric, and took an inaudible breath. He was silently calming himself for longer than strictly necessary, perhaps hoping Snake would speak up again. But he finally replied, "W-Well, when you put it like that… I can't just jilt you at the altar, can I?"

"Not a chance." Then, that low, smooth voice turned into his stern one. "Looks like I'm at the security terminal now. I'll link you up." Sure enough, the dot blinked inside the designated room.

He shook his head to clear it; he ought to act more professional, too, push down those emotions. "Right. Leave it to me."

* * *

It was time to move again. 

This was an all too common practice and something that Snake and Otacon had down to a science. Same routine every time, so it was fast and simple. 

It _needed_ to be, after all. 

Progress was too slow in this area, and the last mission had left Otacon concerned that someone had been patching into their frequency, triangulating their location. It was safer not to be in the same town for more than a couple months, anyhow.

Mei Ling had told the landlord a few days ago that they were leaving (and he wasn’t very happy about the short notice, but then again none of them ever were), and she was already looking for a new place. They’d be heading farther East to the next place, a handful of states over. 

Most of their toiletries were put in backpacks, and the clothes were packed into boxes. The laptops and various cords got their own plastic bins, and whatever else was left got stuffed into the remaining cardboard boxes. Snake kept his equipment and suit separated for convenience’s sake (always close), but still had a gun on him just in case; it was more subconscious than anything.

It wasn’t like they had too much in the first place, thankfully. 

This time, the possible threat loomed over them like a shadow—but it was early in the morning, so they could take a little time with it, right? There was no concrete evidence of them being traced, just the worry that they had been. 

So if Snake sometimes sat behind Otacon as he packed, massaging his shoulders and slinging his arms lazily around his neck while whispering sweet nothings into his ear, it was okay, wasn’t it?

And if Otacon distracted Snake from lifting the boxes into the rental SUV by chatting incessantly or shooting him a cute, shy smile once in a while, then it wasn’t a big deal either, was it? 

There was hardly any time to waste, and yet they probably weren’t rushing as much as they should’ve been. 

But it felt acceptable and comfortable, somehow. 

Otacon was bringing over the last box to the stack near the door—for Snake to take down the stairs and into the car—when he did another visual sweep of the living room, just to make sure he’d accounted for everything. 

His eyes moved across the empty shelf, the couch, the coffee table, and...

There, the plant that had bore witness to everything for these past few months, the plant that nobody had come back for, still sitting obediently on the sill—

“ _Oh_!" Abruptly, Otacon set the cardboard box he was holding down, and bent over near the window. "It's grown."

Snake looked over his shoulder with a brow cocked. “Hmm?”

“The cactus, from when we moved in.”

“It’s gotten bigger?" He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I don’t know about that, it still fits in the pot just fine.”

Otacon reached up, fondly touching the fuzzy prickles at the rim. “No, it’s just—it’s got a little flower now.”

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS FOR READING and a million smooches for you if you're so inclined to leave a comment/kudos~
> 
> [TWITTER](https://twitter.com/togeklssu)   
>  [KOFI](https://ko-fi.com/mochacreams)


End file.
